Strange to think that five years ago today I saw my first Lord of the Rings movie. It was so long ago I have to link you to my first blog. Life has never been the same, eh?

What did I do before Orlando Bloom, elvish, Tolkien? I bet you can trace the upward movement of my lifetime word count in all my stories from December 2001 on...there were a few years there, in high school, I think, when I didn't write at all, unless required...yet now I have 150,000 words in three years, and probably equal to that with other writing projects.

And think of all the money I've spent on the franchise, eek

  John Mayer, Wheel (Live)
  Academ's Fury, Jim Butcher (yes, again)
file under: lordoftherings , writings Posted by Jen at 4:24 PM | Permalink MTIfCommentsActive>|

vote for ATTS: ER | Wishlist: {Amazon} |

Today is JRR Tolkien's 113th birthday. Amazing, isn't it, how one man could have such an effect on popular culture? I wonder if he would have been happy at how his books created such fervent obsession I hope he would have liked the movie.

I saw Phantom of the Opera this past weekend, which was nice. I liked it, and so did the parents There were definitely some off notes, but on the whole the actors really could sing. The costumes were great and it was nice seeing the sets be more realistic than they are, by necessity, on the stage. Unfortunately for me, we saw it at an independent theater that doesn't show big-name trailers, so no Kingdom of Heaven trailer for me. Alas. I just went home and watched it on my computer

Hope you all had a safe and happy holiday season. I need to take down my tree sometime, I guess. *sniff* I like the holidays. I just wish I'd had a little bit more time off. Ah well. someday grasshopper. Troy comes out tomorrow I know it wasn't all that great of a movie, but hey. It's Orlando. That makes me happy. Random thought: anyone else notice that Kingdom of Heaven includes two actors Orli has worked with before? Marton Csokas and Brendan Gleeson also star...like you care. Random thought #2: if you like instrumental music you might like Mehdi.

file under: lordoftherings Posted by Jen at 10:57 AM | Permalink MTIfCommentsActive>|

vote for ATTS: ER | Wishlist: {Amazon} |

Someone pointed out on one of the numerous LotR livejournals that this time last year we were all waiting for the King... ahh, LotR nostalgia. It makes me very sad that there isn't anything else to wait for, except perhaps a massive soundtrack collection of all the music from the movies, which I would adore, but it won't be the same...this is the first december without a midnight premiere, and I don't know why, but it makes me sad. Just had to slip in a LotR quote there. I don't know when or if there will be something like these movies that so inspires the fangirl in me. Spider-man and Harry Potter perhaps approach it (I have seen both the Spidey movies on opening night/midnight, after all) but they're not at the same level.

so who's up for a movie marathon?

Oh, and happy birthday Miranda Otto (Eowyn)! I can't believe it's past the ides of the month. sigh. *keeps telling herself that there's still four days until the orgo final*

  Dave Matthews Band: Say Goodbye

file under: lordoftherings Posted by Jen at 5:22 PM | Permalink MTIfCommentsActive>|

vote for ATTS: ER | Wishlist: {Amazon} |

yeah, so my mom called me to let me know that she has a rather large box waiting for me at home. sigh. I so want to go home and just steal it out of the house, but I bet she's got it hidden for just that reason the agony of waiting! It's not fair...but I will concede that if I had it right now I would be watching it if I could, and not studying. Well, I'm not really studying now anyway, but you get the point. I really do need to be studying; doing pointless nothings right now in a massive procrastination effort, trying not to think about the RotK:EE. Yeah. Not helped by all the people on LJ who are posting about their EE experience...oh, and check out Etoile's (not me, lol) music section, it's a nice introduction to the music of the Lord of the Rings, which, unless you are hard of hearing you love just as much as I do *seethes silently at the waiting* *tries to get into an orgo mood* *giggles and the closeness of 'orgo' to 'orgy'* Sigh. I'm going bonkers. Wish me luck on orgo!

  Howie Day: She Says

file under: lordoftherings Posted by Jen at 3:10 PM | Permalink MTIfCommentsActive>|

vote for ATTS: ER | Wishlist: {Amazon} |

I hate waiting. I don't know how people stand waiting for things. I guess I'm just a very impatient person when it comes to my *ahem* passions. I like things right!now. Does that mean I'm bad?

Although it means I know exactly what I'm getting for christmas, I had to tell my dad how to get onto a site so he could get me a calendar, from all places, Hot Topic. Now, there's a Hot Topic store in the mall, but I doubt he's ever been in, in fact I would be surprised if he had, since it's sort of a goth-teen store that even I feel a little weird entering. Regardless, the store doesn't seem to have the LotR stuff that they offer on the website, so I sent him there. He said he was a little freaked out by the stuff on the site. He's also cute because he chooses used books instead of new. Luff my daddy.

Hah. If I were rich, oh the things I would buy and probably never wear...

Random thought: why are all the good fan shirts black? It's not my favorite color, you know...

  Keane: Somewhere Only We Know

file under: lordoftherings Posted by Jen at 4:16 PM | Permalink MTIfCommentsActive>|

vote for ATTS: ER | Wishlist: {Amazon} |

This Legolas Lithograph would make a nice gift, don't you think?

[edit]*moan* I want this Legolas calendar! Yes I am a fangirl. Haven't you figured that out by now?[/edit]

I have a small wishlist, which is, of course, at home, not at work. Therefore you'll just have to settle for going to Amazon or AE and search for my wishlists there, or you could always click on the links beneath this post Seriously, folks, what (cheap) things do you want for christmas? I think I've got my parents taken care of, but I have no idea what to get Olga, my roommate, for instance. She gave me chocolate and the mini Trilogy version of the LotR calendar. Mmmr. And this next paycheck is basically going to pay the rent and the bills, so I won't have a lot left over to spend on gifts. Sigh.

In case you were wondering, I went through and changed some of the ads/affilates through out the site. I'd really appreciate it if you did some shopping through those links...activity is nice, and there are some good deals. Hopefully they're not too intrusive. lol. do your shopping through my site! whee!

In case you were wondering, I got my latest orgo test back, and I did much better. I guess the flash cards helped. Though that means I have to make a heckuva lot before the final...grumble grumble. Studying sucks. The final really will determine my grade...I think I'm still hovering about the mean, when I want to be on the happy side of the bell curve...*dreads orgo studying* And silly library, getting both (rather long) books that I had on request in on the same week...both due the week of the final. I guess we'll see if I finish them. I'm sure there are requests for both of them so I won't be able to renew. Ah well. There's always another hold, I suppose...

Still pent up about that saturday lab. I really don't like the fact that I have to take it; but I guess I will. Doesn't mean I have to like it! I know I spent all those saturdays in high school and college getting up absurdly early to make it to track meets, and spent much longer times at said meets than the piddly 8am - 2pm lab will take up, but at least those were fun and I wasn't graded...ugh. Did I mention the fact that there's an Arthurian Mythology class offered Wednesday nights (which is of course the same time as the orgo class)? Sigh. One of these days I will be able to take fun classes. Tap dance for free, anyone?

Because I really like this picture and you might see more of it soon, once I find a nice hi-rez version...

  The Polyphonic Spree: Light and Day

file under: lordoftherings Posted by Jen at 2:16 PM | Permalink MTIfCommentsActive>|

vote for ATTS: ER | Wishlist: {Amazon} |

Six minutes of heaven
Squee! Fangirl moment. Click above for the link to a six-minute preview of the Lord of the Rings: Return of the King special extended edition Ahh, that makes me happy, even if I'm going to attempt to stay away from it until I'm done with orgo. The final, anyway. Still haven't signed up for next semester. Not like the class is going to be full or anything. Course, now that I've said that, watch it be the only evening class that fills up. Sigh.

Did get Spidey 2 and Hero (couldn't resist) last night, and the National Treasure and The Matrix (yes, I know, behind on the times, it was on sale) soundtracks. Bad Jen.

So...who wants what for christmas? I basically should just ask for money this year because no one is going to buy me an mp3 player, a keyboard or a new laptop. That's just the way life is. And one of these days I WILL make enough money to get them for myself. Greedy little minx, aren't I? I have no clue what to get my parents. Thank goodness I don't have brothers or sisters, so I don't have to figure out something for them too. I'm so bad. Ah well.

I'm just rambling, really. I should be doing orgo. Guess I'll go do that.

PS: pray for my mom. She's in the hospital for her blood pressure. Not cool.

  Hans Zimmer: Run Free (Spirit: Stallion of the Cimmeron Sdtk)

file under: lordoftherings Posted by Jen at 3:31 PM | Permalink MTIfCommentsActive>|

vote for ATTS: ER | Wishlist: {Amazon} |

Museum of Science - Lord of the Rings Boston's MoS is having the only exhibition of the LotR memoribilia and other such things related to the film in the US. I really want to go. It's there until October...which incidentally is about the time when I should be in Kansas City for the renaissance festival...anyone interested in that?

Jesus, I need more friends. I don't have anyone to go to the Moonlight Ramble with either, unless Leo or Alex change their minds. Sigh. This is where I missed out being an only child...no built-in trip buddies.

file under: lordoftherings Posted by Jen at 12:27 PM | Permalink MTIfCommentsActive>|

vote for ATTS: ER | Wishlist: {Amazon} |

..but if I ever see one I might just get it, on the principle of the thing...
Barbie Collector Showcase

And in case you've ever wondered...What if Orlando needs a green card?

I've made more icons. Soon there will be a post. But probably over at the LJ. I'll get back to you on that. Wait! There are some up in the Iconic gallery already. Yeah. Go comment.

And you must check out this site for Harry Potter fanart. Wow. artdungeon.net ~ Harry Potter Artwork (Fan Art by Marta) Am inspired.

Want the King Arthur soundtrack, the Spidey 2 score, and the Ned Kelly dvd. Next tuesday there will be a sharp drop in Jen's budget.

file under: lordoftherings Posted by Jen at 12:42 PM | Permalink MTIfCommentsActive>|

vote for ATTS: ER | Wishlist: {Amazon} |

Oh my goodness how much it has rained. Flooding-type weather here, hail in some places. Thank goodness nothing's flooded around my place yet, but some of the low roads have standing water and the highways were a mess last night. I hate to say it but St. Louis drivers on the whole are pretty bad. Now, you can't lump me in with the whole because I'm a very good driver (almost always ) and I've never had (read: caused) an accident, but gosh, the people in my town can't drive if there's severe weather. When my car was hit (about a year ago, I guess) it was only slightly rainy and the lady sure had the choice of going up on the curb or hitting my car...sheesh. Go slow, turn on your lights, and don't tailgate like the stupid van behind me this morning.

And so I have finally seen Return of the King on DVD, which makes me happy...however, it's also the first dvd that I've ever bought or rented that is defective. Nearly all of chapter 28, the Siege of Gondor, flickers, breaks up, and just plain stops until there's only five or so minutes left to the chapter. *yes it's a long one* The rest of the movie plays fine. So I'll have to exchange that today. blah. Somehow I managed to buy two copies of the Hidalgo soundtrack, so while I'm at it I'll return the duplicate...and return the cd-only version of the new Hanson album because I found the cd-dvd version at fye. Yay returns! (heavy sarcasm there)

Some subtle improvements could have made Troy a much better movie...

From the end credits of the Return of the King:

Me mahara tonu taatou nga Uri-aapakura noo tuaanuku nei, noo te waaotuu te tu kekehua ana o ngaa Eldarin kua hohouu mai i te Uru-moana.
“Let us dedicate our memories to the spirits of the Eldar who came to us from the Ocean that lies to the West.”

I missed Sir Ian McKellan's birthday yesterday. Happy belated 65th, Gandalf!

I want a Legolas t-shirt! I don't know when I would ever wear it, but it would be so nice to be able to see him all day I love my elf.

Stop raining! At this rate we'll never play a softball game...

file under: lordoftherings Posted by Jen at 10:06 AM | Permalink MTIfCommentsActive>|

vote for ATTS: ER | Wishlist: {Amazon} |

Well, after months of waiting, RotK comes out on dvd today. I've had my copy reserved for a while now, and I think I even get a King Aragorn figurine when I go pick it up. Someone from the store called yesterday just to make sure that I remembered to come by the store...like I would forget. I reserved mine at FYE, but I should have gone to Borders...they had a midnight release party. I think I could have gotten another t-shirt. Ah well. I don't really need any more t-shirts, though it would have been cool. But then I would be tired today. See, I have some common sense.

I wouldn't be surprised if our softball game gets rained out on thursday. not because it's actually raining, but the 'field conditions' thing again. Sigh. I remember griping about this before...it's april showers, not may showers. bah.

Oh yeah, the "extended cut" of Underworld comes out today as well. Maybe I'll pick that up too You know me and werewolf/vampire flicks What to watch tonight? Healthy wholesome family flick or dark bloody horror? Or the 24 "season finale you'll never forget"? lol.

Too bad Alex and Leo are going down to Texas. I'll just have to have fun without them. Be safe you two!

file under: lordoftherings Posted by Jen at 9:35 AM | Permalink MTIfCommentsActive>|

vote for ATTS: ER | Wishlist: {Amazon} |

Well color me happy. Lord of the Rings: Return of the King won all 11 awards it was nominated for, tying it with Titanic and Ben-Hur as the most decorated Oscar winner. Everyone in New Zealand got thanked at least twice, and most probably three times...it's not that big of a country We even got thanked...and by we I mean the fans, the extremely happy fans, the obsessive ones...ok, maybe that's just me.

RETURN OF THE KING: BEST PICTURE!
Peter Jackson for Best Director
Grant Major and Dan Hennah won the Oscar for Best Art Direction.
Ngila Dickson and Richard Taylor won for Best Costume.
Jim Rygiel, Joe Letteri, Randall William Cook and Alex Funke for Best Visual Effects.
Richard Taylor and Peter King for Best Makeup.
Christopher Boyes, Michael Semanick, Michael Hedges and Hammond Peek for Best Sound Mixing.
Howard Shore won for Best Original Score.
James Selkirk won for Best Film Editing.
Annie Lennox, Fran Walsh and Howard Shore won for Best Music (Song).
Fran Walsh, Peter Jackson and Philippa Boyens won for Best Adapted Screenplay.
(from TORn.)

Still appalled that there was no nom for Cinematography, but I guess since a LotR movie has won before and it already had 11 noms they decided against it. Whatever. Still happy. All the songs were performed wonderfully tonight...makes me want to see A Mighty Wind even more now, and almost makes me want to see Cold Mountain to see how the two (!) songs that were nominated fit into the movie. No terribly strange outfits this time...oh, I could be nitpicky but it's late and I won't. I really liked Nicole Kidman's hair. And the top of her dress. Ditto for Sandra Bullock. You already read about Angelina Jolie if you read the previous entry. All four hobbits were there...it was so cute! And PJ wore shoes

Jen's a happy fan.

file under: lordoftherings Posted by Jen at 12:48 AM | Permalink MTIfCommentsActive>|

vote for ATTS: ER | Wishlist: {Amazon} |

TheOneRing.net has a list of the 11 nominations that Lord of the Rings: Return of the King garnered this year. Thankfully, Best Picture and Director are among them, and thank God the Academy got its head out of its collective behind and let RotK's score be nominated. Yeah sure it sounds like the other two, for continuity's sake...but it has wonderful original moments. But...no cinematography? Eh. It'll be interesting to see which of my two favorite movies of the year (RotK and Pirates) win in the categories they're going head to head in. And yay Johnny Depp! A nomination for best actor! Whee! This should be an interesting night.

file under: lordoftherings Posted by Jen at 2:17 PM | Permalink MTIfCommentsActive>|

vote for ATTS: ER | Wishlist: {Amazon} |

My cousin's finally the same age as me again She spent the day driving to New York and sightseeing. Lucky for her with the sightseeing...not so fond of the driving part.

It SNOWED! And I got to SLED! Whee! Jen is happy. I'll probably be more sore tomorrow what with having to walk back up Art Hill after sledding all the way to the bottom, but it's worth it. And the new sled I got, while it did split up the middle on the bottom, worked wonderfully. Nothing a little duct tape can't fix! It was a pretty even snow, not so much accumulation, but icy. It took quite a while just to get the ice scraped off the car...hopefully it won't refreeze so I don't have to spend more time scraping the car tomorrow morning! Maybe I'll get into work on time. Last friday I somehow managed to turn off my first alarm but sleep through my emergency second alarm. So I woke up about ten minutes before I'm theoretically supposed to be at work, even though I never get into work until 15 after anyway. Darn walk from the parking lot gets me every time.

Anyway, after sledding Alex, Leo and I saw the Butterfly Effect. Interesting movie. While there were some horrifying moments I'm not disappointed I saw it. Ashton Kutcher is sort of a cutie, especially when he's clean-shaven...It's a good concept, and I think it was well done. It's just not quite up there. Eh. I guess my standard is pretty high now, what with the LotR movies...shoot, they even influence how long I feel a movie is. Anything under three hours is a short movie now, haha. But yeah, about TBE...I'd recommend it, I guess, it's pretty suspenseful. It's not a movie you could see again very readily though. Part of what made it good was that you really didn't know what would happen. So here's my ambivalent-with-a-nudge-to-go-see-it vote.

And speaking of LotR...watched the end of the golden globes tonight so I got to see RotK win Best Original Song, Director and Motion Picture Drama (!!!Whee!!!) RotK also won best Original Score which means they won all the awards they were nominated for. Go RotK! At least the Hollywood Foreign Press got it right. Let's hope the Academy are taking the hint.

I like snow.

file under: lordoftherings , movies , working Posted by Jen at 11:44 PM | Permalink MTIfCommentsActive>|

vote for ATTS: ER | Wishlist: {Amazon} |

and here I answer some pretty inane ones.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but that's what some website had for the translation

Anyway, here are some answers to your burning questions.

Q: where can i find legolas's bow? A: I've already answered this, several times...take a look at the sidebar under "right now" and you might be able to figure it out. As of right now the bow is not officially available.

Q: buddy icons. A: Also already answered this...you people don't check back often enough. I don't really have time to make a lot of icons, so there aren't a lot on my site. You can find plenty online!

Q: What is this website for? A: This website is my personal journal/portal to all my other sites. A place where I can ramble about my (argueably) unexciting life. Click on the 'what the heck is an etoiline" link on the sidebar. NOT affiliated with Orlando Bloom, Lord of the Rings, or anything in Hollywood. Just a fangirl! Am I gonna have to make a disclaimer?

Q: How many times has Orlando Bloom factured his skull? A: I'm not quite as obsessed as some, so I can't tell you for certain. I believe just once. Though he has broken his ribs three times. and Q: how much money did Orlando Bloom make? A: As I'm not his agent nor his accountant I am not privy to any of his financial information...honestly, people. I must not sound like a girl! and Comment: I'm a big fan of you OB and I was wondering how could a guy so hott{sic} like you not be married but then again maybe you could stay single for 11 years{laugh}? Where on this site does it say I am Orlando? Can someone tell me why this looks like anything other than a fansite? There's nothing official about it. Go bug full bloom.

Q: will i marry legolas? A: Gosh I sure hope not because that would mean you are delusional. Not quite so obsessed with the lovely elf prince that I don't realize he's fictional.

Q: Age? A: Come now. You obviously didn't look at the site very long, did you?

Q: what does the back of arwen's crown look like? A: Wait, let me ask her to turn around for you. I wish I knew, but I'm not a metalsmith so I couldn't even begin to guess. Do I look like a jeweler?

Egad. I had more of these than I realized. Maltese falcon screencaps indeed. I've never even seen the movie. And I don't think Billy Boyd or Orlando will marry anyone who visits this site...and I certainly can't tell you what they're thinking! And yes it's true, the cast are all friends still. Read any interview and you can see that is true. I have only sketched Orlando in his Legolas and Will Turner guises, and just pure sexiness as himself. Maybe more later.

Just heard Melissa Etheridge's new song, Breathe, as originally sung and produced by the St. Charles (near my hometown) band Greenwheel. They're both on the same label, and she picked it up. I recommend the Greenwheel version.

file under: lordoftherings , miscellany , orlando Posted by Jen at 1:05 AM | Permalink MTIfCommentsActive>|

vote for ATTS: ER | Wishlist: {Amazon} |

Well, I'm officially tired now, and I really need to go christmas shopping still. and pick up something for the lab lunch party tomorrow. and tape smallville and angel. are they even new tonight? I don't know. Blast, I forgot to tape 24 last night. That's the first episode all season I've missed. Too bad I don't still have bit torrent on this computer. takes up too much bandwidth.

Happy Birthday to Bernard Hill! He's 59.

I wanna see it agaaaiiinnn...meh. Soon, grasshopper. I've listened to the RotK soundtrack so many times today, and I still don't know the names of the songs. Beautiful stuff.

So I'll be going now. If you actually made it through all the tripe I wrote today, I salute you. Bed never sounded so good.

file under: lordoftherings Posted by Jen at 6:24 PM | Permalink MTIfCommentsActive>|

vote for ATTS: ER | Wishlist: {Amazon} |

Are you a LotR Expert? Hee. I am and some interesting statistics.

Spoiler thought...

At Aragorn's coronation, he communes with the remaining members of the fellowship, and you get to see Lego in a crown...of sorts. Makes him look a little poncy, but I was like, hey, Prince Legolas of Mirkwood! And then he does this cute little eye flick and directs Aragorn's attention to a banner behind him...and lo and behold there is Arwen, with Elrond the proud pappy looking on. Now this sounds cheesy, but it works.

You see all the people of Minas Tirith on the Spike of Ecthelion (er. I think it's the Spike) and Aragorn passes Faramir and Eowyn...they look happy, standing close together, but I wish they would have put in a little of the romance for the two. But I guess that will come with the Houses of Healing sequence. That just makes the EE a must-see. And what about the seedling of the White Tree? I hope that gets addressed in the EE as well.

I cannot wait to see this again. I didn't really care for the beginning, what with Smeagol and Deagol, but I suppose it's nice to see how Smeagol became Gollum, so that's sort of a pain to sit through, but once you get past that, it's spectacular. A spectacular piece of cinematic history.

And yes, I wore my costume. I did have a coat on outside as it was in the twenties and very windy. But once we got in the theater I had full costume...minus a belt. I can't believe I forgot the belt! Luckily we didn't have to wait outside long...they let us in over an hour before midnight, good thing. Maybe they felt sorry for us There were some people in costume, a lot of people in cloaks, mostly at the beginning of the line. You could tell some people had been camped out there a while. We should have gotten there a half-hour earlier and we would have been closer to the front of the line...but we got good seats anyway. We sat in the fifth row this time, not the third...still a little bit of a crick in the neck, but right in the middle of the theater. Good stuff.

You WILL have to go to the bathroom at the end of this movie! It's amazing how three hours and 20 minutes taxes your bladder

Some more questions that need answering (there's been an influx of questions in the last few days...I guess I'm showing up on some weird searches...but feel free to ask anyway!):

Q: Sound track the return of the king. A: If you want to know where to get it, check out lordoftherings-soundtrack.com or

Amazon. If you want to know my opinion...I'll have to listen to TTT again, which I think is my favorite, but I've been listening to the RotK soundtrack for at least a week straight, so it's my favorite right now. Sweeping sounds, reprises from the first two movies, beautiful symphonic stuff that makes you want to be a composer. I would have to say the LotR music as a whole is my favorite soundtrack work at the moment...Howard Shore is still not my favorite composer, though he's high on the list. But behind Hans Zimmer and James Horner still, I think. I highly recommend the RotK soundtrack. Of course, I also highly recommend the FotR and TTT soundtracks as well. Spring for the deluxe versions if you can get it. They're just a little more fun.

Q: Trailers before RotK. A: There were a couple of not so good trailers and a few interesting ones. Spiderman 2 and The Butterfly Effect are trailers that stood out...I assume you know what I'm talking about with Spidey2...if not, search the web and I'm sure you'll find the trailer as it went online on Monday. The Butterfly Effect stars Ashton Kutcher and Amy Smart, neither of whom I think are great actors, but the movie sounds not half bad. There was a sort of stupid teaser for the 2nd Mask movie. Something about a baby born with the Mask's powers? Eh. Go see the movie. I liked the trailers but that was not why I was there

The credits of RotK are pretty neat. For each actor's name there's a pencil sketch next to it of the character they play. I didn't stay for the whole thing but I will next time. I want to hear the whole "Into the West" song in theaters. Sigh. Theoretically I might still be able to make it to a show tonight, but that's probably pushing it. I want to see RotK again! Right now! lol. At least I know I'm guaranteed at least two more showings, possibly three...and I'd have no problem with that at all.

Today is the 100th anniversary of the first flights at Kitty Hawk. Whee! So glad the Wrights were smart

I'm sure there will be more later.

file under: lordoftherings , movies Posted by Jen at 12:35 PM | Permalink MTIfCommentsActive>|

vote for ATTS: ER | Wishlist: {Amazon} |

TheOneRing.net Fan Reviews

Here's my review that I submitted to TORn. You can read it here and see how I rated things, or just read the text below...

!!!SPOILERS!!!

The word that describes my viewing of the midnight premiere is 'breathtaking.' Even though I've read the books several times before and knew what was going to happen, I still felt myself carried along with the story and waiting (or dreading, depending on the mood) to know what was going to occur next. The way the story is told is original...using the book as a guide, but done in its own way.

First off, a few gripes...I realize that with a story with so many different characters and arcs that there's going to be a little discontinuity, but some of the jump cuts were disconcerting. This bothered me in the Two Towers as well, but it's something I can live with. Sometimes Howard Shore's beautiful score was drowned out by the action onscreen, but that's not a terrible thing either. I miss the Faramir/Eowyn relationship and the Houses of Healing. I want to see Aragorn work the magic of the King. But at least they'll be on the dvd.

It was interesting to finally see the promo stills and trailer clips in their proper context, strange to see how they had changed since we first saw them.

Now the highlights: I'll admit my fangirl status by saying Go Legolas! His taking down the Mumakil singly got the loudest cheers during the whole movie. And a funny part to boot. Thank you PJ for listening to the fans. And he's knowledgeable about the Paths of the Dead, eh? lol. And finally making note that he's a prince of the Woodland Realm...good stuff.

Aragorn. Wow. Viggo, my hat's off to you. Aragorn seems so real, so human, I believe I would follow you too. Gandalf: nice to see you for most of the movie. I'm glad you got to kick butt with your staff and stave off a couple of Nazgul. Pippin! I love the accent, and the lighting of the signal fires was a wonderful cinematic moment. The soaring music and sweeping vistas...one of these days I'll go to New Zealand and see it for myself.

Eowyn/Merry vs. the Witchking! Yay! Women/Hobbit power! Don't those bad guys ever learn that just because 'men' can't kill them they can still be killed? The battle scenes! Huges shots of the armies coming together, when you know that it's hopeless...they're willing to make the ultimate sacrifices just for the chance one small hobbit will make it to the Cracks of Doom. And the final fight between Frodo and Gollum. That part stayed with me from the book, and I will always remember it from the movie as well.

I'd heard this one could be a tearjerker, and there were some times that I almost cried. This is pretty impressive, because I never cry at movies. But everything just feels so realistic, so immersive, that you can't help but emphasize with the characters.

I was worried at the beginning with the slowness of the movie, but I got into it quickly. I never looked at my watch the entire 3 hours and 20 minutes. I do remember thinking just about the time when Frodo and Sam were at the foot of Mt. Doom that there was still a lot to go...but I'm glad they wrapped it up. I'm glad the Hobbits got new suits.

I was sad to see it end (for real, after the several fade-to-black frames), and a little numb. What an amazing experience. I'll need to see it at least two more times to get the full impact. Thank you PJ, cast and crew for making such a wonderful, touching, moving, action-filled, workout-for-your-subwoofer film. Hannon le.

Final analysis: I loved it, can't wait to see it again, so-THAT'S-what the silver frock is supposed to look like, yay Lego in a crown, Aragorn: the fans have found their captain, Arwen: ok, she's very pretty and not as silly in this movie as TTT, read the last two pages of RotK, and walk out smiling. I'll be listening to the soundtrack all day, and coming back with more thoughts as they come to me...now to work, now for wrath, now for ruin and the world's ending! er. Still excited.

file under: lordoftherings , movies , orlando Posted by Jen at 9:43 AM | Permalink MTIfCommentsActive>|

vote for ATTS: ER | Wishlist: {Amazon} |

Egad. I've been making buffers all day. What a joy. Until you have experienced the fun of a pH meter, you haven't lived. *strong injection of sarcasm there* Someone tell me again *why* we need so much 20x TBS? (Which will be 200 liters of TBS when its used at 1x. Whee! Gaah.)

Some links for you: USA Today's sort-of review

MSNBC's 'Triumph' review

file under: lordoftherings Posted by Jen at 4:06 PM | Permalink MTIfCommentsActive>|

vote for ATTS: ER | Wishlist: {Amazon} |

I guess it was from being in the animal house yesterday working with the rats, but I was alllergic to something I encountered yesterday. My eyes are all swollen and I have the occasionally runny nose. It was really bad before I tried to sleep last night...even went to bed early but I think I got less sleep than I normally do because it hurt even when I closed my eyes. Yeah. That sandpaper feeling? Right here. And now I know how John Rhys-Davies felt with that prosthetic makeup hurting his facial skin...the skin around my eyes is all tender. I don't know why, if this current attack is from working with the rats, it hasn't come up before this. I mean, I've worked with the rats for longer times than yesterday...although I did have to do it twice...maybe it was because it was hot in there? Eh. I dunno. I probably shouldn't have driven to work today. And actually Pablo, the dude I'm working with (running the experiment, natch) isn't here, cause he's got the same thing I do only worse, I suppose. Rats. In any sense of the word.

I can't believe I didn't mark the one-month countdown to RotK when it happened two days ago. Exciting, no? I'm still worried about getting tickets to *some* midnight premiere. I wonder when the Esquire will get their act together and start selling tickets! As I recall they weren't sure about a midnight premiere until around a week beforehand...I sure would like to know before then this time. Silly I know, but I would love to see all three of the movies in the same theater at the same kind of premiere...

The song for the RotK credits sounds pretty good. It's called Into the West and it's sung by Annie Lennox. Which originally sounded odd to me, but I really like some of her stuff and this particular song seems to fit really well. I'd love to get the soundtrack right now...I'll probably wait until I can get the special edition or even the internet special edition, if lordoftherings-soundtrack.com would ever get updated. Silly people. I want my stuff!

Posted this at the other blog, but it's a taste of what I'd love to work on...Dr. Koop-Healing Your Own Heart Valves

file under: lordoftherings , working Posted by Jen at 1:47 PM | Permalink MTIfCommentsActive>|

vote for ATTS: ER | Wishlist: {Amazon} |

Pinball News - First and Free

They're gonna make a LotR pinball machine! How cool would that be? Can't you just imagine having that in your basement? lol. I would spend hours in front of the thing. Just look at the descriptioin! Whee!

Cryptonomicon is a really good book. Even if it is indirectly about math.

file under: lordoftherings Posted by Jen at 1:44 PM | Permalink MTIfCommentsActive>|

vote for ATTS: ER | Wishlist: {Amazon} |

So, here's where I'll try to summarize my experience at the pop-culture behemoth that is Comic-Con. This will take me a while, so bear with me...

Wednesday morning, far too early for comfort, I rolled out of bed and remembered to pack everything last minute except my sandals. Not such a big deal but a bit annoying. Wore my contacts and a cute yellow v-neck. Sat on a plane for three hours, watched X2 for two and a bit of them, sort of to my chagrin cause I'd hoped to be able to sleep. Got to LA and was amazed by the palm trees. You don't see those in StL. Also don't see movie billboards on ever corner. Don't see them at all, really. Nor on buses or bus stop posters...We drove around, had lunch (at California Pizza Kitchen, natch) and then we were on our way to San Diego. Bright bright sun. My contacts were really bugging me so thankfully I had some sunglasses...but apparently there was something really wrong with my eyes cause I could barely keep them open the next day. sigh. you heard about that, I believe...Anyway, preview night was cool. we got to see everything before the rush of crowds. A good thing, that...cause it got really crowded. Got some free stuff and bought some postcards...so hopefully my friends in far off places will be able to get a little giftie...

Thursday was a bit crappy as I couldn't see most of the day. Spent the morning at the con and then came back. (Or did we? I can't remember what we did in the morning.) I was a bit worried cause I realized I hadn't contacted my partner-in-masquerading as to how we were going to get together at the con...thank goodness that worked out, thank goodness for the LotR_Costume group at Yahoo and thank goodness for Tammy. I slept quite a bit, didn't have lunch, and woke up in time to go to *a* mall in San Diego, which shows you how big the city is. I mean, we have a downtown, but there aren't nearly as many malls here...we were going to see Pirates that night but it was sold out. So we just had Pizzeria Uno's for dinner, which is grand. Funny how I didn't go to any place for food that they don't have here, save the Pacific Fish Co on the ground floor of our hotel...went swimming that night (never managed to get into my new suit though, was saving that for the beach, and well...read on)

Friday was better. Found out how to get in touch with my masq partner. Spent the morning at Coronado Island. Didn't see the famous hotel cause it was on the other side of the island and we didn't want to walk, lol. Did find some souvenirs and had some really great ice cream. I stood on the shore of the Pacific, finally. If it had been a little nicer weather we might have tried to make time to swim, but it was even a little chilly if you can believe it. Went back to the con and bought a Legolas doll, lol. It was the TTT version with Rohan armour...he looks pissed off. Maybe he's annoyed at the orcs. We met Jan again (person who took us to the mall) and went to see Pirates. Still good. Very happy. Will see it again...wonder if I'll end up seeing Pirates or Seabiscuit first with my parents...one way or another I'm going to get them to see Pirates. Came back, without eating more than ice cream for lunch and chips for dinner to work with Cathy on the masquerade skit. We thought it was pretty funny. We did end up getting laughs, but more about that later...up far too late and stayed up later looking at the complete FotR and TTT movie card decks I bought. Yes, I'm just in it for the Lord of the Rings.

And now we come to Saturday. Sigh. I missed Angelina Jolie and Halle Berry cause they were in the morning while Cathy and I were at Masquerade Orientation. Saw Dominic Monaghan as I was leaving the orientation. At first I didn't realize his bodyguard was a bodyguard; just thought it was someone dressing like Agent Smith. But then I realized he was actually protecting someone. I saw the clothes first and Dom was just wearing a grey tee and jeans, and by the time I actually processed his face (he had a cute little grin going) I was walking past him. Did a double take, I can assure you. If I'd have been quicker on the draw I might have run back to him and asked for an autograph or picture or something, but I'm not that fast nor am I that bold. So I at least breathed the same air as a celebrity for a while...

Met up with Lammy and Ire (her sister) and Banica (her friend) in the Kevin Smith talk. Sorry Alex, no autographs. He was pretty damn funny. And after his talk it was the New Line panel, and that was exciting. We had to sit through a 'Freddy vs Jason' spiel (not gonna see that movie) but then Richard Taylor came out and started talking about LotR yay! Andy Serkis talked a little as well. They had a great costume/prop demostration, there was a Galadrim elf, a Rohan warrior, Lurtz (the big-bad Uruk-hai, in full gear) and a hobbit lass. One of the armourers started making a sword. Some lucky person with the right ticket got to take it home. The hobbit lass had to be checked over by someone who really knew their hobbits...the aforementioned Dom. Later Elijah Wood and Sean Astin showed up, and they all talked a bit. We saw some behind the scenes stuff, Andy Serkis' audition tape, and what we were all waiting for, the preview to RotK. It was only three minutes of the 12 that will be on the dvd in August (should I pre-order or wait to see if they have another giveaway like they did last year? Let me know!) but it still looked neat. I can't believe the change Frodo goes through. And everyone says this is the best movie of the three, and the battle of Pelennor Fields makes Helm's Deep look like a minor scuffle. We'll see. Can't wait!

Unfortunately I didn't get to see anything else that day, really, cause by the time I'd eaten a (very) late lunch (about 4 pm) it was time to meet up with Cathy do practice the skit. But she'd gone to try and get Lij's autograph. Don't know if she ever even got it, but needless to say she was gone a pretty long time. Went to check in for the Masq and started getting dressed...put the ears on, did the side braids...had to wait a while for someone who knew how to do a fishtail braid so they could do the one in the back. No wig for me, too much trouble. Just me and my black hair, eh. At least the clothing was right! We had a pretty funny skit about the Lothlorien Beauty Care line, but I'll spare you the details. The bad thing was that there were no mikes so dialogue had to be taped. And the tech people started the music before the mc (who happened to be Robert Englund of Freddy Kruger fame) stopped introducing us. So we lost the timing, but there were laughs at the end, so I guess we were either actually funny or they were laughing at the problems we were having. My quiver almost slipped off cause one of the buckles wasn't in all the way...ah well. There was even a little Pirates tribute. The masq lasted most of the night, so I was very happy to get back to the hotel and sleep. Had to pack though...and there was the *sniff* moment when I remembered I had to go back to StL the next day.

So sunday comes, and we headed off to the con for one last time. Just walking around, trying to see some of what we hadn't before, but still didn't get to see everything. Lammy did manage to find a Pirates bag which she'd been looking for all evening. I wish I could have gotten some more free stuff. Alas. I'd just have to find someplace to put it anyway. I was sorely tempted to buy the deluxe gift set from FotR with all the character dolls in it...$60 which wasn't too bad and I even had the money, but how was I to get it home on the plane? So I settled on the FotR Legolas doll. They're so cute. This one doesn't look so pissed off. I'll keep them forever. Had to open them last night to see how all the little pieces fit together...too bad I didn't have them when I was trying to make the costume!

We made the drive back to LA, and I felt bad that we couldn't spend more time there. But I got the absolute last flight back into StL that you could get and it still be sunday night. The flight was a little bumpy but uneventful...there wasn't even a movie, just CBS's Eye on American which was a bunch of shorts from CBS shows. Didn't watch too much of it, wrote some Moonstone instead. So the story is advanced it's sort of coming together.

I think that's all of it. If you managed to read this far, congratulations. I don't have anything for you. If you ever have a chance to go to CC, I recommend it, but just dress up for the con, don't do the masq, unless you've got a big group. Bring lots of money and be prepared for your feet to hurt; mine still do. And try to stay longer than the con. I wish I could have. On the whole, I'm happy, I got to do a little theater, and sort of felt like an elf. If nothing else I'll have a great halloween costume

guess I should get back to work now.

file under: lordoftherings Posted by Jen at 12:41 PM | Permalink MTIfCommentsActive>|

vote for ATTS: ER | Wishlist: {Amazon} |

in lovely San Diego for Comic-Con. I can't believe we're actually here. It seems odd that after so long of talking about it that it's finally being done. Preview night was last night, there looks like there's some great stuff there. Can't wait to see celebrities

I'm really tired, which isn't so odd, but my contacts did something to my eyes so that it hurts to have them open for too long. Or at least the left eye. So I can see out of one eye...I should get an eyepatch before we see Pirates tonight. lol. We'll meet up with another Arrow for dinner and the movie

We did decide to get internet access, which is grand. I don't understand why I have to clean out hundreds of spam messages...stupid spam. why do people do it? bleh.

I did a bad thing and didn't arrange how to meet up with the person I'm doing the skit with. sigh. I don't even know where she's staying or what the name of her booth is or what her last name is...meh. there could be trouble then. eek. what if I had to do it by myself? and what if my eyes aren't ok for the blue contacts, or any contacts for that matter? yesh. I'm not going to worry about that right now because I'm going to take a nap. Maybe when I wake up everything will be better.

file under: lordoftherings , reallife Posted by Jen at 4:25 PM | Permalink MTIfCommentsActive>|

vote for ATTS: ER | Wishlist: {Amazon} |

about not being spoiled for who dies in HP #5. But a girl who signed my guestbook provided a link to her site, which I visited, cause I'm nice like that. She does have a disclaimer on her site that says it contains spoilers for OotP, so I went to close the window, but caught sight of the splash graphic at the top of the page. It said "Tribute to -----" or somesuch, and yep, that's who died. Arrgh. Hon, if you're gonna have spoilers, put the disclaimer *before* the images that spoil! sigh. Although I wonder if this person is really gone. Oh, I know, they say that this one really is out of this world, but it just doesn't seem like it's final to me. I mean, in GoF, the person who dies seems really dead, you know, body on the ground and everything. This time...I don't know. Maybe just wishful thinking.

Finished the fifth book around 10:30 this morning. Only had to read about 30 pages, cause I was up til 2:30 reading. Silly me. I probably could have finished it last night, but I couldn't keep my eyes open. It was nice to have part of it to read this morning. Went by much quicker than I expected. I figured it would take me four days, at least three, to finish, cause it took me three to read the 4th... but just about two days, that's it. Probably cause I read all day at work on Friday. Good, fast paced, definitely darker. Lots of characters. Some you really love to hate. Glad I got to read it now, but yeah. Definitely waiting to buy the paperback.

Mom had a booth at Heart Hands & Voices today. I think it was a success...I didn't really work it (bad me) I was fletching arrows. All five finished. They're never gonna fly straight, indeed I'd be surprised if they flew at all, but that's not really the point, is it? Two green and three yellow, canon be damned. That's what I had oh, if you ever need a quill pen, let me know. I'll cut you one from the many I've got left. Red, blue, some yellow, fake turkey. white or black. Your choice!

Costume check:
Clothing. (Mostly) Done, will have to do if I run out of time.
Vambraces. Done.
Leg Wraps. Done.
Shoulder straps for quiver. Tooled. One needs staining. Attach lower steadying strap, front buckle. Side buckle?.
Belt. Needs tooling. Attach buckles.
Quiver. Peacock painted. Knife case made, needs attaching. Straps!!!
Arrows. Shafts painted, need fletching and cutting to size. Nock. Tips?
Knives. Hafts need cutting, rasping. Cut "blades" and cover with silver tape.
Cape. Done; needs holes for quiver straps.
Pin. Baked, needs pin back.

Sew the gosh-darn clasps on the shirt!

Busy Jen tomorrow.

file under: books , lordoftherings Posted by Jen at 2:41 AM | Permalink MTIfCommentsActive>|

vote for ATTS: ER | Wishlist: {Amazon} |

We've mostly discussed the heroes in LOTR. What about the villains? What do you think of the way they were written and portrayed in the movies? If you read the books, are they as you pictured them?

(visit the new Rings Thing LJ)

So. Villains. I definitely liked Saruman better in the book than I like him onscreen, he was developed more. However, I really like how Christopher Lee plays him. He looks like he should. Sauron...He looks pretty good for a flaming eyeball. Obviously, it's easier to portray a flaming eyeball as a villain in a book where you can just accept the concept, whereas in the movie it's gotta be an actual force, and that's tough to do. I think it flew pretty well...I think the baddies (orcs, Uruks, etc) were done really well. Esp. the wraiths. You really get a chill when they come by! I usually read those parts really quickly and never formed an image of them. Besides, who wants to carry that around in your imagination if you don't have to? lol. And if you consider Gollum a villain (which he definitely can be) he was a) wonderfully created in the book and in the movie and b) much better than I expected in the movie. It's great to have one of those ambiguously villainous characters that you don't know whether to pity or hate.

Course, now that I have the dvd I'll just skip over all the ugly parts and focus on Legolas Kidding. I almost never skip. I do occasionally rewind...

file under: lordoftherings Posted by Jen at 5:38 PM | Permalink MTIfCommentsActive>|

vote for ATTS: ER | Wishlist: {Amazon} |

from Christina

1) You, Legolas, alone in one room. What do you do? Ask him to show off his bow

2) You, Arwen, alone in one room. What do you do? wonder how she got Aragorn

3) We sadly lost 3 when he fell into....ummm...ok, we just lost him.

4) What gift would you ask of the Elves? to be one of them

5) What race would you most like to be: Human, Elf, Dwarf, or Hobbit? see #4

6) Honestly...would you keep it secret, and safe? Yes.

7) If you would keep it secret and safe, would you be the ring-bearer, or would you swear to protect the ring-bearer? Protect. I'd like to stay sane, thanks.

Ok, you are the ring bearer, who makes up the Fellowship with you (of your friends) and if they�re enough like a character, say who they�d be: and here's where I feel crappy cause I don't think I have enough friends to make up the fellowship. Or that would have any interest in being part of it.

9) Ok, you�re not the ring bearer (but you are in the Fellowship like above), who of your friends would be the ring-bearer? Sheesh. You know I'd be Legolas, but apparently I'm more like a dwarf with my lethal sprint speed...see #8. I honestly have no idea who could do this.

10) Are you evil? Evil enough to become a tool of Sauron? Hell no. I am a nice girl!

11) If you had to be one of the nasty/evil creatures (i.e. the Balrog, the Cave Troll, an orc, Ring Wraith, etc) what one would you be, and why? Ringwraith. Such a cool name.

12) If you didn't know the ring was The One Ring, but you knew it made you disappear and such, what would you do with it? Hide from coworkers.

13) Pippin and Merry- are they really ok guys, or just big nuisances? Cute hobbits. End up being better in the book than the movie makes them out to be.

14) Who kicks the most ass; Gandalf, Legolas, Strider, or Gimli? you have to ask? Legolas, of course. Seven shots, seven orcs, the white knives, punching out a few Rohirrim...

15) Would you rather be an Archer, Wizard, or Ranger?: Archer, right now, but Lego uses a sword too...haha! Two-for-one deal!

16) Who's your favorite character? Legolas, all the time.

17) Who's your favorite hobbit? Tie between Merry and Frodo.

1 If, for some odd reason, Aragorn and Legolas were to get in a fight, who do you think would win (and why)? Heh. Long-range? Legolas all the way. Can't beat his archery prowess. Up close and personal? Tough to say. Andruil would probably break the long knives.

19) Do you think the race of men is weak? well, yes. But then I would be putting down myself, and we can't have that...so just less strong-willed than the elves.

20) Does it make you sad to know the Elves are leaving these shores? Yes. I want to go with them...

21) React to this: Frodo lives! lol.

22) If you've read the book and seen the movie, did you like both, or do you think one was better than the other? I enjoy both. I like having the movie's visual when rereading the books. And the books just get better with each rereading. Like the movies get better with each viewing.

23) Do you think the movie was an insult to Tolkien's genius? Oh for heaven's sake. It's just a movie. PLOT DEVICE!

24) Any problem with the cast? Well, there is absolutely no reason for Liv to have such a prominent place in the publicity, but I like the cast. I think they work well togther. Wish I could be a part of something like that.

25) Honestly...do you think Liv Tyler did a good job as Arwen, or are you glad she's in the movie just because she's hot? She is great as an elf, but I don't personally like her that much. The movie would have been fine without her (Why no Glorfindel?)

26) What do you think of the choice to cut out Tom Bombadill? He would have been interesting. But alright considering the amount of material they DID put in.

27) Was the Balrog all you had hoped for? Honestly wasn't hoping for too much. Glad it turned out as it did.

2 Any other changes from the book to the movie that irritate you? Arwen's role in FotR and TTT...Missing Merry/Pippen moments...Faramir being a jerk.

29) How about that special-edition dvd, pretty cool, or no? Hot damn, baby. Among the top reasons to spend $60. Others being to buy books or cds.

30.) Lastly, what was your favourite bit of the movie? FotR: Moria/Amon Hen. TTT: Helm's Deep/Casting out of Saruman and parts leading up to it. And that damn flying elf

there's more...click the link!

last book you read: Whole book: The Two Towers for the third time. Part of book: Blue Moon by Laurell K Hamilton. It is the full moon, after all.

- last movie you saw: The Two Towers, for the second time.

- last movie you saw on the big screen: See above.

- last phone number you called: Sarah

- last show you watched on TV: Providence, cause it was on

- last song you heard: one of the myriad LotR songs off the two soundtracks

- last thing you had to drink: milk

- last thing you ate: Pasta house for dinner

- Last Time you showered: before bed yesterday

- last time you cried: a week ago, when I found out I will be losing my job Feb 1st

- last time you smiled: when Todd's new fuzzy rug got delivered to the lab

- last time you laughed: see above

- last person you hugged: Mom

- last thing you said: I won't be watching it

- last person you talked to online: Alex

- last person you talked to on the phone: Someone who wanted to talk to Todd

- last thing you smelled: Linguini with clam sauce

file under: lordoftherings , memes Posted by Jen at 10:57 PM | Permalink MTIfCommentsActive>|

vote for ATTS: ER | Wishlist: {Amazon} |

It's been about twelve hours since I walked out of the midnight premiere of the Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers at the Esquire theater. And I can't stop thinking about it. If I could leave work right now and see it again I would. But I've got an experiment running...so I won't.

There may be a few minor spoilers here and there in this review...it's probably all I'd ever get to cause I'm lazy that way. But I wanted to get something up for TORn (review #264, under Calenhíril). So here it is...

I truly enjoyed this movie. It was a near-constant barrage of action and adventure, and I think even if I hadn't seen the midnight premiere I would be tired after seeing it! The settings were, as before, wonderful. The music just swept you into Middle-Earth and is even better than the score for FotR.

The acting on a whole I think was more cohesive in this film, but some of the script was a little forced and predictable. But even when you knew you were supposed to laugh, it was funny.

I appreciated the effort that went into making Gollum and Treebeard. Gollum was well done, but there were just times when you could see that he was cgi. Treebeard was a bit of a disappointment, and there were definitely times when you could tell it was JRD's voice. The whole Merry/Pip/Treebeard story could use a little work.

Helm's Deep was amazing. The effects were wonderful and you really felt the action, and the emotion. The jokes on Gimli's stature were a little annoying after a while but did lighten the mood of a very dark and slightly scary part.

I loved the flooding of Isengard. Triumphant Ents, what can I say.

I'm very pleased at how they wove the three stories together--just about the time you were wondering "what happened to..." they cut to that group. And I have to put out my shoutout to more lines for Legolas The love triangle was not in as much evidence as it looked to be, and while the alternate Frodo/Sam ending was a little weird and completely not canon, I think it fit in with what PJ was trying to do, and I accept it.

Overall a very good film. I think it was better than FotR. More action, superb effects, and a year of experience only serve to enhance the movie. Go see it!

one thing that is quite spoilerish that disappointed me...(scroll down)

Legolas doesn't kill the Uruk that's going to set the fire for the blowing up of Helm's Dike! He hits the shoulder, then reaims and gets him but it's too late... and the Dike goes BOOM! I suppose someone had to do it, considering that the dike really does fall, b-b-b-but why did it have to be cause Lego's shooting wasn't spot-on at that moment? Bugger.

(end spoilage)

Aside from that , all was wonderful. We got there about 10, waited for a while until Alex came by with the tickets...I could have worn my cloak and no one would have laughed. And we weren't the first. And had we gotten there any later we wouldn't have gotten a seat near the front and near the middle...as it was we were at the right end of the third row...not ideal for your neck, and needless to say I'm paying for it today. My neck and shoulders are very sore. But it was worth every minute of waiting and craning. I loved it.

I know there are things I forgot in the review, like how the beginning just hits you with a load of beautiful scenery and snatches of dialogue and then we see the fight with the Balrog. One phrase I can use to describe the movie is boom-boom-boom. The images just keep coming. There isn't a long Hobbiton sequence to bog down the first part of the movie, you don't have to wait till the middle of the movie to meet more characters. Legolas is there all the time And he does more of those "oh-Valar-my-heart-just-broke" looks. Damn that is one fine elf. No Legolases from the costumed moviegoers. Not as common as it should be, lol. Next year I will wear a costume. It better be done by then!

More elvish. More action. Some things are totally different but it still makes a good movie. And that's what I went to see: a good movie. And that is what I got. Many OMB moments.

I'll probably be back for more, when I remember. Feel free to comment

file under: lordoftherings , movies Posted by Jen at 3:44 PM | Permalink MTIfCommentsActive>|

vote for ATTS: ER | Wishlist: {Amazon} |

sheesh, can the day go any slower?

In case you stop by here on your way to buying me christmas presents (hah, yeah right) I just set up an American Eagle Outfitter's wish list. So in addition to your Amazon.com choices you could make me all warm by buying me sweaters

file under: lordoftherings Posted by Jen at 1:54 PM | Permalink MTIfCommentsActive>|

vote for ATTS: ER | Wishlist: {Amazon} |

That's all I can say. Oh, and happy belated birthday to Miranda Otto, who plays Éowyn. Her birthday was yesterday.

One Day!

Real life sucks, btw.

file under: lordoftherings Posted by Jen at 12:15 AM | Permalink MTIfCommentsActive>|

vote for ATTS: ER | Wishlist: {Amazon} |

I'm so excited in one week I'll have seen The Two Towers! Yes! BTW, please vote every way you can. At least keep me tied for second place

Also, there is a new board for the Etoiline.com network! it's located at http://etoiline.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi/YaBB.cgi, so please check it out and sign up again if you were on the old board. Sorry, the other one went wacky for some unknown reason so here this one is!

file under: lordoftherings Posted by Jen at 6:11 PM | Permalink MTIfCommentsActive>|

vote for ATTS: ER | Wishlist: {Amazon} |

John F Kennedy was assasinated. I remember when Beauty and the Beast came out it premiered on the 22nd of Nov, and how it was sad that such a great movie came out on the same day as such a tragic event. I was 10 or so, already thinking deep thoughts, lol. Of course, there were several music cds, etc, released last year on Sept. 11, and it's always a little wrenching to see that as the release date.

On a lighter (or darker, as the case may be) I've been writing more on Decadence and TMC. Decadence is already getting gory. Definitely an influence of the books I've been reading I hope I can actually go through with it.

I finally developed the pictures from graduation and this summer and this fall...course it's only three rolls. There are some pretty wacky pics in there. You can see some of them here, don't laugh too hard.

I want advance tickets to TTT, damnit! All the sites I've tried don't seem to have them for this area. Phooey. lol. I'm not obsessed, really. Only 25 days left!

file under: lordoftherings , serious , writings Posted by Jen at 5:32 PM | Permalink MTIfCommentsActive>|

vote for ATTS: ER | Wishlist: {Amazon} |

...and still probably will not have made it through all the extra features of the Collector's Edition of LotR:FotR. God but it's good. And even better now that we have a DVD player aaaaahhhhh. We got a new tv and a dvd/vcr combo. So far the only bad thing is that the closed captioning is awkward to get to on the tv. That and the fact that I have to pay for half. ergh. Bigger speakers! Larger screen! Headphone jack for watching late at night! Too bad I only have four dvds, two of them being different versions of LotR: FotR

A month from a half an hour from now. at 12:01 am, to be precise. I can't wait. I finally got back into reading TTT, although I did break one of my rules and bought a hardback book by David Blaine, the musican. I just hope it's worth the money. Actually, I bought a couple of hardback books. Used, of course, so all just about the same price as paperback. I'll show my analness and tell you how I wanted the hardbacks of the Rhapsody trilogy. They've got certain printing features that the second and third books neglected to use in paperback, which actually takes away from the story. And I like having hardbacks to read (esp. since they're easier to read while brushing my hair. Hey, it's long, it takes a while!). I just hate buying them. It's silly to pay $25 for a book that, if it's important enough to come out in hardback, will be available at the library for free with a pretty minimal wait. I know, I'm addicted to books. Better than drugs, I guess.

Anyone know when the advance tickets go on sale for TTT? I can't believe I don't know this yet.

Don't forget to vote for me this week!

file under: lordoftherings Posted by Jen at 12:44 AM | Permalink MTIfCommentsActive>|

vote for ATTS: ER | Wishlist: {Amazon} |

Please keep voting...

yeah, so my PCR didn't work. Erm. Doing it again with other dna samples. faugh.

Watched a history channel special on Braveheart: 'History vs. Hollywood." So some of my illusions were shattered, but I learned some things too...for instance, did you know that a typical Scottish claymore was 5'6" long? Good grief. Taller than me.

Waiting for midnight so I can download the hi-res version of the TT trailer I am such a dork :look:

file under: celebration , lordoftherings , movies Posted by Jen at 11:25 PM | Permalink MTIfCommentsActive>|

vote for ATTS: ER | Wishlist: {Amazon} |

odd facts constantly reminding me of Orli:

Everyday on the way to work we pass a florist called "Always in Bloom";

I'm reading a book by William Boyd. The actor Billy Boyd is in LotR with Orli;

I was listening to a cd I made, and a song from the soundtrack of "Deep Impact" was on it; Elijah Wood was in that movie, but also in LotR with Orli;

I'm learning to sew because of Legolas, Orli's character...

Too bad I won't ever meet him!

file under: lordoftherings Posted by Jen at 1:04 PM | Permalink MTIfCommentsActive>|

vote for ATTS: ER | Wishlist: {Amazon} |

Now that you've seen the latest edition of the Two Towers preview:

What are you most looking forward to in The Two Towers? More Legolas. Helm's Deep sequence.

Which character (new or continuing) do you particularly want to see in a

prominent role? You have to ask? Legolas. Also, Eowyn looks interesting.

Have you heard anything that makes you think you might have a problem with

the film? Unless you count having to wait till December, no... I mean, the Helm's Deep sequence is supposed to be 50 minutes long! Whoohoo!

I do so hope someone will watch it with me on opening night. I don't want to go alone.

file under: lordoftherings Posted by Jen at 1:04 PM | Permalink MTIfCommentsActive>|

vote for ATTS: ER | Wishlist: {Amazon} |

Are you buying both the August and November DVD (or VHS) releases of the

etc.) good marketing or corporate greed?

I will probably end up buying both the editions, if just the August VHS anyway. I'll probably try to bum a August DVD viewing off a cousin or friend just so I can see the 10 minute preview. I am definitely buying the collector's edition, cause I want the National Geographic dvd and the Argonath bookends. And of course, the 30 or so minutes of extra footage. Oh yeah, my name will be in the credits of the Nov. editions... so I'll just have to get those. I like the different editions, although I'll admit it does seem a little excessive. However, in this case I'm glad. There was so much more that needed to be told...

file under: lordoftherings Posted by Jen at 1:17 AM | Permalink MTIfCommentsActive>|

vote for ATTS: ER | Wishlist: {Amazon} |